Gambling With Your Career

My father always advised me against four things in life: prostitution, drugs, crime, and gambling. Whether he meant "do not enlist the services of one" or "do not become one" in reference to prostitution, I've never clarified. But in either case, I've managed to stay away from this and two of the other things. But bless me father, for I have sinned on the fourth.

Gambling could be defined in one of three ways:

betting on an uncertain outcome;

taking a risk in the hope of gaining a benefit; or,

engaging in reckless behavior.

Under any one of these definitions, I gamble every day. I gamble in the morning, afternoon, evening, and night. Heck, I am gambling right now by writing this article, since it will yield me some direct and indirect benefits.

In fact, most human beings — some of you readers included — are guilty of committing the sin of gambling.

Suffice it to say, this is not the gambling that my father had warned me against. The gambling he had in mind was probably the high-stakes, high-risk type where one could lose his money, shirt and wife with one toss of the dice. Thankfully, I have avoided that form of gambling. The problem is that I partake in other types, all of which involve either betting on an uncertain outcome, taking risks in the hope of gaining some benefit, or engaging in reckless behavior.

Why do I, and human beings in general, gamble?

not for the money

Well, first let's consider the notion that most gamblers do not gamble for the money. They do so for the thrill. It's no coincidence that people with fairly mundane professions tend to take a liking to gambling — it provides a much-needed source of excitement to their daily lives.

But stale professionals are not alone. Many of those with exciting lifestyles — actors, athletes, artists, and models — have all admitted to gambling at one point or another in their career.

Ben Affleck gambles at casinos, and he does not need the money. Hockey player Jeremy Roenick admitted to gambling on other sports; he does not need the money either. Michael Jordan got into trouble for gambling, and he could have bought a casino if he wanted to. It is fair to argue, then, that all these men were driven by something other than material benefit.

To some extent, the fact that these men gambled in the first place is surprising. After all, it is not like their gigs were mundane. Roenick and Jordan were athletes at the top of their game. Affleck had a golden touch with most of what he did (think back, pre- Gigli ). So why would they need the added escapism? Perhaps the addictive side of gambling transcends lifestyle changes.

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